The ecteinascidins such as Et-743 are exceedingly potent antitumor agents isolated from the marine tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata. Several ecteinascidins have been reported previously in the patent and scientific literature. See, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,663, which describes pharmaceutical compositions comprising matter extracted from the tropical marine invertebrate, Ecteinascidia turbinata, and designated therein as ecteinascidins, and the use of such compositions as antibacterial, anti-viral, and/or antitumor agents in mammals.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,273, which describes novel compositions of matter extracted from the tropical marine invertebrate, Ecteinascidia turbinata, and designated therein as ecteinascidins 729, 743, 745, 759A, 759B and 770. These compounds are useful as antibacterial and/or antitumor agents in mammals.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,932, which describes ecteinascidins isolated from the Caribbean tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata, which provide in vivo protection against P388 lymphoma, B16 melanoma, M5076 ovarian sarcoma, Lewis lung carcinoma, and the LX-1 human lung and MX-1 human mammary carcinoma xenografts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,426, which describes several ecteinascidins isolated from the Caribbean tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata, which provide in vivo protection against P388 lymphoma, B16 melanoma, M5076 ovarian sarcoma, Lewis lung carcinoma, and the LX-1 human lung and MX-1 human mammary carcinoma xenografts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,362, which describes a synthetic process for the formation of ecteinascidin compounds and related structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,293, which relates to semisynthetic ecteinascidins.
WO 9846080, which provides nucleophile substituted and N-oxide ecteinascidins.
WO 9958125, relating to an ecteinascidin metabolite. WO 0069862, which describes the synthesis of ecteinascidin compounds from cyanosafracin B.
WO 0177115, WO 0187894 and WO 0187895, which describe new synthetic compounds of the ecteinascidin series, their synthesis and biological properties.
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